Intra- and interboar variability in flow cytometric sperm sex sorting.

Area of Science:

• Animal Reproduction
• Flow Cytometry
• Sperm Sex Sorting

Background:

• Improving efficiency of porcine sperm sex sorting is crucial for swine artificial insemination.
• Inter- and intraboar variability in sperm sortability can impact sex-sorting success.
• Ejaculate characteristics may influence sperm sorting variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess inter- and intraboar variability in sperm sortability for flow cytometry-based sex sorting.
• To evaluate the predictive value of ejaculate semen characteristics on sperm sortability.
• To determine the viability of sex-sorted porcine spermatozoa during liquid storage.

Main Methods:

• Collected 132 ejaculates from 67 boars of different breeds.
• Separated X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm using Beltsville sperm-sorting technology and flow cytometry.
• Assessed interboar and intraboar variability in sperm sortability and post-storage viability.

Main Results:

• Significant interboar variability in sperm sortability was observed; 15% of boars showed poorly defined sperm peaks.
• Ejaculate sperm concentration predicted sperm sortability (AUC=0.88, P<0.001).
• Boars with good initial sortability maintained consistency, and sex-sorted sperm remained >70% viable after 48h storage.

Conclusions:

• Porcine sperm sex sorting efficiency is influenced by boar variability and ejaculate sperm concentration.
• Consistent sperm sortability is achievable in selected boars.
• Sex-sorted sperm viability supports potential commercial application in swine artificial insemination.